Baroness Myriam Ullens de Schooten Whettnall (born 23 September 1952) is a German-born Belgian entrepreneur engaged in art, fashion and philanthropy.

Early life and education

Myriam Ullens ''née'' Lechien was born in

Cologne, Germany Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...

, and spent her childhood in Germany where her father was an officer in the Belgian army. When she turned five, she moved to a boarding school in Belgium and studied in

Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Na ...

, and then in Liège.

Early Business

At the age of 24, Ullens launched her first business "La Petite Salade", a salad delivery service that she sold four years later. Immediately thereafter, she created a professional pastry shop named "Sweetly" in Brussels. In 1991 she met her future husband, Baron

Guy Ullens Baron Guy François Edouard Marie Ullens de Schooten Whettnall (born 31 January 1935) is a Belgian art collector, philanthropist, and former businessperson. Following his business career, he has with his wife, Myriam Ullens, established the Guy ...

, a Belgium businessman, and shortly thereafter she sold Sweetly in order to devote her time to non-profit organizations.

Foundations

Education

Ullens built institutions to support the Nepal's disadvantaged children, including two orphanages focused on helping children suffering from malnutrition. She founded with her husband Guy Ullens the Ullens School in Lalitpur, the first school in Nepal to offer the

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry int ...

Mimi Ullens Foundation

After surviving

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...

, Ullens recognized a need for patients to refocus on their physical and mental well-being while being treated in hospitals. In 2006, she founded the Mimi Ullens Foundation to support seven centres that are located within the

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

departments of its partner hospitals. These centres provide 15,000 cancer patients with psychological support.

Art

The

Ullens Center for Contemporary Art UCCA Center for Contemporary Art or UCCA () is a leading Chinese independent institution of contemporary art. Founded in 2007. Located at the heart of the 798 Art District in, China, it welcomes more than one million visitors a year. Originally ...

(UCCA) is an independent, not-for-profit art center serving a global Beijing public. It was founded by Guy and Myriam Ullens in November 2007. On 11 February 2017 the

received the 2016 Global Fine Art Awards for Best Contemporary / Postwar / SoloArtist “Rauschenberg in China”. Ullens sits on the board of trustees of The

Royal Drawing School The Royal Drawing School is a not-for-profit educational organisation and registered charity in the London Borough of Hackney in England. It was founded in 2000 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and artist Catherine Goodman as The Prin ...

, which was founded by the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

to provide a space where expert teachers could help students with part-time drawing courses each year for adults and children of all ages and abilities.

Maison Ullens

In 2009, Ullens launched her own fashion label, named :fr:Maison Ullens.

StoryTeller

Myriam Ullens is publishing her first novel, "Distant Starless Nights" in February 2017.

Personal life

Ullens is married to Baron Guy Ullens de Schooten Whettnall since 1999. She has two children from a former marriage.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ullens, Myriam 1952 births Living people Belgian businesspeople Social entrepreneurs Barons of Belgium